“She needs to understand,” he tells me.
I stare at him, widening my eyes, silently willing him to read my mind. He should know better than to pick on a literal murderer. She killed grown ups when she was a baby…who knows what she could do to us now. Golden bands or not.
“You don’t touch Margot, you understand?” he asks, shifting back to the girl. “If you do, I’ll know, and I’ll kill you.”
“Harrison!” Margot shrieks. She’s crying, which isn’t unusual for Margot. Just about everything makes her cry. But for the first time, I feel like crying with her. A nasty knot ties in my stomach.
“This is for your own good,” he spits back at her. He steps for the girl, whose brown eyes widen. She mimics his movement, only adding distance when he’s taking it away.
“C’mon, Harrison,” I say.
“Say it, freak,” he says to the girl, ignoring my hand on his shoulder. Ignoring Margot tugging on his opposite arm. “Say it!”
“I won’t touch her,” she says. She’s not crying, but her lower lip trembles, like it’s taking everythingnotto.
“Good,” he snaps. Then, turning back to Margot, he says, “We need to talk.”
“Yes, we do,” she agrees. Her face is red, but her tears havestopped. Now, her terror has transformed into fury. “Not here. Follow me.”
Without waiting for him, Margot storms off in the opposite direction, back toward the school. I glance past her, scanning the playground for our teacher. Mrs. Raekes isn’t anywhere to be seen. There are other kids though, all watching this interaction unfold.
“I mean it,” Harrison says.
I’ve barely turned back to them when he pushes her. She stumbles backward, not even attempting to catch herself as she falls into the dirt.
“Harrison!” I yell.
But he’s already moving. He’s taken off after Margot, leaving the girl sprawled out on her back.
I stare at her longer than I probably should. She’s blinking up at the sky, hands fidgeting, but otherwise unmoving. I keep waiting for her to get up, but she doesn’t.
I shift on my feet. This girl is dangerous. So dangerous Harrison is terrified of her. I could see it in his eyes. Between the fury and the determination, beneath all the hatred. He is scared of this girl and what she’s capable of.
I should run like he did.
Instead, I step forward. One. Two. Three. Until I’m standing beside her. My body casts a shadow over her, but she doesn’t look at me. She just keeps blinking up at the sky.
“Here,” I say. I shove my hand toward her, and the girl flinches. Those wide eyes find mine, looking far more terrified than any natural-born killer’s should.
I stare at her.
She stares at my hand.
The seconds tick by, until I’m shifting on my feet again.
“Look,” I say. “Just take it. I’m not going to push you or anything.”
She still stares.
With my arm extended toward her, I glance around again.Everyone is watching. The eleven and twelve years are all out here. It isn’t only Mrs. Raekes’ class. There are dozens of kids, all watching me get rejected by our newest, unwelcome addition. The only people I don’t see—thank the Mother—are Harrison and Margot. The last thing I need is Harrison pestering me about this for the rest of my life.
“Come on,” I say. I lean closer, feeling the edges of my ears heat with embarrassment. “Just take it. Don’t be stubborn. I’m trying to help you.”
“I’m not stubborn. I’m smart,” she says. She pushes onto her elbows, then climbs to her feet. She brushes off her dress, sending bouts of dust into the air. “Get shoved into the dirt enough times, and you will be too.”
“I already said I wasn’t?—”
“People lie, Elliot,” she says. I raise my eyebrows, surprised she already knows my name. As if she’s caught her mistake at the same time, a faint blush crawls over her cheeks.
